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December has been a month of mostly work and not a lot of play. Hence why on the morning of Christmas I'm trying to get a post done on the blog, to make up for my previous few weeks of absence. I have been juggling three retail jobs at Highpoint which has been insane!! Just finished the overnight trade working a shift to 3am then getting up to start at 8am the next day. Yeowch.

It's been hot and cold and windy and rainy and sunny and dry in equal parts, as per Melbourne's typical weather patterns. On a hot day on the weekend I wore this khaki/cream combo.

Forever New topBardot skirtWindsor Smith sandals

I'm trying to incorporate more lighter colours into my summer wardrobe, and I think the white shoes really help! They encourage me to wear the white stuff I own instead of always opting for black/grey. Anyway keep cool everyone, I'll keep it short & sweet for now.

So I'll have you know that today is actually the 4th of December. Meaning 22 DAYS 'TIL CHRISTMAS, HO HO HO! Seriously, the latter part of this year has just flown. I feel as if it was a couple of weeks ago that semester 2 at uni started. So it's THAT time of year when everyone is crazily trying to head to Melbourne Central or Highpoint or Chadstone Shopping Centre to get their present shopping done. And I don't need to remind you do I - it's a nightmare! The crowds, the grumpy sales assistants (I swear I'm not one of those!) and the time and money going into it all.

So I've compiled a basic gift guide for you - this is the girls' edition - men's to come soon! I'm sure there is something in here to suit most of the lovely ladies in your life without breaking the bank :) Simply click on the image to purchase.

GLASSHOUSE Montego Bay Triple-Scented Candle, $39.90
For anyone who is into candles, decor and lovely smelling things, this candle smells luscious, and it comes in multiple flavours as well to suit different personalities. One of my favourites is the Montego Bay which is coconut and lime flavoured, it is both refreshing and sweet. My second favourite has to be Tahaa which is a vanilla/caramel. I can guarantee if you smell these you'll want one for yourself too!

DOGEARED Whispers Infinity Necklace, $69.95

This is a personalised gift for someone who is tricky to buy for - it is delicate and you can choose many different quotes and charms on these necklaces. The infinity is a beautiful sentiment but there are also hearts, skulls, music notes, wishbones, lightning bolts and more that you can choose from. Products are gold dipped or sterling silver so excellent quality! Browse the Mocha site for some other Dogeared products.

KESTER BLACK nail polish, $17

These polishes come in an assortment of gorgeous colours, I particularly love the glitter polishes - the one above is Supernova. They are perfect stocking fillers or Kris Kringle gifts, plus they are Australian made! I always endorse Aussie/local products and these are also trendy and cute!

APPLE iPad Mini, from $349

It's compact, it's useful and it's a whole lot of fun, what more can I say? The iPad mini is definitely a gift for a loved one - one who loves technology and staying connected! You have full access to all of the wonderful apps in the appstore, social media, games, you can read the news and emails, the list goes on. I don't think I have to sell this one much :P

MIMCO Mim Pouch, $69.95

These are a cult classic among the seriously stylish, with various leathers and colours available in this style. The Calculus in the picture above is a unique colour and pattern which is small, easy to carry and has a pretty good reputation around Melbourne and beyond so nab one for any fashion loving girls in your life :)

MARC JACOBS Honey Perfume 30ml, $75

Yet another of Marc Jacobs' offerings in the fragrance department, the Honey scent is absolutely charming. This is a gift for a sweet girl who will rock this signature scent, or really for anyone who loves to smell sweet and dainty. The bottle is a work of art, as always :)

BILLABONG Beach Towel, $49.99

For the active girl who loves to hit the beach or go for a surf, this towel is the epitome of class. It's got the coolest print on it ever and is sure to turn heads on the beach - though I'm sure she will too in a killer bikini! 100% Cotton Velour to keep your skin feeling dry and soft on the sand.

So I hope there's something here that's caught your eye for your mum or girlfriend or sister or friend. Let me know what you think of these products!! REMEMBER: just click the images above to buy. Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalement of the Xmas Gift Guide - for the blokes ;)

I like to believe that what goes around comes around. So doing good on this planet means good things will come your way, and vice versa. I know, it's a little bit new-age-hippie, but somehow I feel that it really is true. You see, I have been selling my clothes on eBay & whatever I don't sell to go to charity bins. That's a good thing right? And in return I come across lots of cheap purchases that make me happy. Win-win situation! ;)

I am in love with my new sandals which I saw on The Iconic last week. After I shipped off/donated some old clothes and had a bit of extra $$$ in my account, the shoes went on sale and got $20+ wiped off them. I would like to suggest that this was fate telling me to purchase them. So I did!

I went to purchase this wonderful Aacute necklace in Footscray and saw a highschool friend Thara from Moss & Stone, after that I pretty much got home & shot this outfit straight away because the colours i the necklace miraculously matched my dress so perfectly! It is handmade and ethical so get on that shiz! Check out the Aacute shop because they also make luscious-smelling wood-wick candles which come in heaps of flavours :)

Anyway, I am terribly excited with my new purchases this week and I hope everyone else is having a good weekend too. Am out for dinner tonight & have Architecture in Helsinki tomorrow at Corner Hotel YAY.

Fresh flowers are ACE. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Who doesn't love a vase of petalled colour and sweet scent in their house? And who doesn't love frolicking in a field of floral fun? (Alliteration FTW!) Oh...I guess people who have hayfever don't like it that much. Sometimes that is me, actually. I will sneeze like there's no tomorrow if I get any pollen up my nostrils, but hey! I still love picking flowers and having them by my windowsill. I suppose the next best alternative is wearing a floral print on my threadz. So here is a post of yours truly, wearing floral shorts. And, shock horror, hot pink. Surprisingly since I did Black Out last year hot pink is a favoured colour in my wardrobe!

These pictures are from Wednesday when I hung out with my lovely friend Ash. She helped me take some snaps of my appropriately 'floral' outfit in a little park called Suffolk Triangle near my house, which used to be an empty patch of grass. The locals in our area managed to get some council funding and now it's a great park where some local oldies play lawn bowls and dogs can play :)

So this outfit is full of colour, and texture, but it's actually really simple. Basically I'm wearing a singlet, shorts and thongs. Classic Australian attire, right? :P Like I said in previous posts, simple pieces which are easy to wear, yet really unique, are things I look for in my wardrobe. I definitely will be using this post for lots of outfit repeating over Summer. I don't think it's such a crime really.

Hope everyone has had a great week! Not too much hayfever I hope... *ahhh-choo!*

To coincide with the exciting launch of PANDORA’s new ESSENCE Collection (which I wrote about previously) of 24 sterling silver hand-finished charms representing values we hold, PANDORA has enlisted Australian-bred music/film director Kinga Burza as an ambassador for the ESSENCE range. She has directed clips for big names such as Katy Perry, James Blunt and Marina & The Diamonds and lives in Paris. Check out this awesome vid of her, isn’t she gorgeous!

Kinga speaks so elegantly about Joy, and obviously the Joy charm she is wearing resonates deeply within her.

The ESSENCE Collection is about making a modern statement combined with expressing lasting, personal values, what a unique way to express your inner values and dreams!

Boyfriend jeans are just like boyfriends in many ways; when you are wearing them/with them you feel both comfortable and confident, and they are so awesome that you keep coming back to them again and again. A tad daggy perhaps, but true, right? They have become my wardrobe staple that I just know will look good and get me through the day.

I love the freedom of having a bit of room to jump around, and seriously, despite owning a lot of skinny jeans, I find myself preferring the breezy-ness of boyfriend jeans lately; I love having my knees exposed to the sun especially in this Spring weather :) Also gives me more room to jump around on my trampoline (as you can see)!

Sorry about the really bored/ugly facial expression, I don't know why I look like that, gotta work on my posing skills >< It's hard when you take photos on self-timer!

All my clothes in this outfit are like my basics that I go to - the boyf jeans as above, and I have had the shearling jacket for ages and wear it with literally EVERYTHING! My JC wedges are great too, if you click my 'wedge sneaker' tag at the bottom of this post you can see how else I've styled them :)

P.S. Plz don't judge me Aussie people but the knit top is from Supre (super sl** pre-teen chain store shhhh!) but it is so so cool and is kinda like the Bec & Bridge one.

P.P.S. I know I broke my own rule about 'NO BELLYBUTTONS' on the blog but I really wanted to wear this combo today, just pretend it never happened.

Lately, I have been obssessed with smoothies for breakfast. I've been making them every morning when I get up, and sometimes even after I go to the gym. There are so many good things about smoothies - they are so easy to make, tasty and healthy too! Not to mention that you can really get creative with it too.

Here's the recipe for the dairy-free smoothie I made this morning, it comes in two "layers".

So… who doesn’t love winning stuff? And who doesn’t love PANDORA?! Rhetorical question, guys. I love you all of you a lot, so to celebrate the arrival of PANDORA’s new ESSENCE collection of charms, I’m sharing with you wonderful readers a chance to 'express the essence of you', and win your own PANDORA ESSENCE bracelet!!

I first heard about MAN THE LABEL last year when I won a rope and metal hexagon bracelet/necklace combination in a competition. I liked how unique everything was, and that the jewellery had a certain personality to it.

I wanted to share with you MAN's latest offering, EQUINOX for Spring Summer '14. It was inspired by the rawness and elegance of the ancient game of Polo, perfect timing with the Spring Racing carnival that just went by! Equinox draws on leather, metal and buffalo stone in this collection. Earthed in clear resin, horse motifs serve as a refreshingly simple marker of the equestrian theme.

True to what MAN's aesthetic, the pieces are very geometric and there are both fine, delicate chains and rings, but also bolder statement styles. The lookbook images are striking and are a balance between animal instinct and human nature.

I took some time to interview designer Sheila Man, who gives us a little insight into her world.

Tell me a bit about your background and where you grew up.
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lived there until I was 18. Looking back I see that my parents were very unique, in the sense that they were very open minded, encouraging, and incredibly creative and supportive. If I didn't have the parents I have, I most certainly wouldn't be in Australia right now.

How did you begin with the concept of MAN jewellery? What made you choose jewellery design?
I was working for a fashion designer where my role was very business oriented. I felt like I wasn't feeding my creativity and realised that I needed a creative outlet. So I started making jewellery at home. I'd done jewellery before but never commercially. I used to make jewellery and give it as presents to my friends. But this time it was different, once I started I couldn't stop and realised that I had a point of difference. That made me think I could create a business from it.

What is your favourite piece from the Spring Summer collection?
I love the MAN Block Ring and the Buffalo and Clear Polo rings and bracelets.

What is your most cherished wardrobe staple?
Uhhh, that's hard! I'm such a hoarder! I have clothing that I've had for 15 years and I can't get rid of it for sentimental reasons! Saying that, I think the staple that I love the most is a Martin Margiela navy dress that I bought in Japan about 5 years ago. It's the perfect dress, so classic but so different. It's the definition of chic.

What does the future hold for MAN?
Only the future will tell!

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A beautiful collection and a beautiful designer, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next season!

After many years of experimenting with clothes, shoes and accessories, I find that the simpler the outfit I wear, the more comfortable I am. So I guess I tend to gravitate towards clothes that are simple, but have some point of difference to them that I can just mix and match again and again.

This skort is one of them. At first I was hesitant to wear a skort because of the crazy popularity of THAT Zara wrap skort...I'm not usually the type to 'follow' with the majority. But the more I look at it, the more I realised how the wrap skort design is perfect for my wardrobe.

1) It's got a layer of shorts underneath which means I don't have to worry about flashing people inappropriately or windy days.
2) It's sinple, but the wrap part at the front makes it a little bit different and less plain.
3) It's so easy to put on and it's baggy and comfortable.
4) IT HAS POCKETS. I LOVE POCKETS.

So ta-da! I bought mine from eBay for $6. As you can see in photos the quality is rather crap, but what its worth I don't mind that much. Knowing trends and fashion, it'll be out of style in another few months anyway.

How many of you have owned a charm bracelet? I have – and there is a certain attraction to collecting small trinkets that have some kind of personal meaning. Charm wearing most probably began way back in the caveman day, when man tied bones, shells and stone onto leather cord. Charm wearing reminds me of the Ancient Egyptians who wore scarab beetles that symbolized having a prosperous afterlife!

Since its inception, PANDORA has created a worldwide sensation with its unique, delicate charm bracelets, reinvented every season. PANDORA has transformed the charm bracelet into a timeless yet modern piece of jewellery, although the symbolic meaning has obviously changed since the era of the Ancient Egyptians. Let’s call it a modern interpretation of the Egyptian’s ideas.

Anyway I’ve rambled on long enough – what I really wanted to tell you guys about is PANDORA’s new jewellery concept (which I think is genius): the ESSENCE COLLECTION!

This collection allows women to express our inner self and beliefs through 24 charms which represent values we hold, like joy, hope, love and compassion. The look of these bracelets is sleek, delicate and minimalist chic, an aesthetic I love – sometimes you don’t need a lotta bling to make a statement!

Now these ESSENCE bracelets don’t need to replace your existing PANDORA bracelet – PANDORA’s designer Lee Antony Gray says simply that “you can wear both; one expresses the moments in life, the other expresses the meanings.” That's cute, and means that hey! I can double Pandora ;)

PANDORA ESSENCE Collection is available in concept stores from November 4, which is today :)